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When it comes to lifeguards, you’d be hard pressed to find a better-equipped team than the Hawaiian Water Patrol. They’re famously good at what they do — the North Shore in particular is a hell of a place to save a life — and Brandon Martin, a member of that elite team, proved that they’re able to do things in the ocean that most people can’t.
When a ski flipped at Pipeline, Martin simply swam over to it, flipped it over, started it back up, and drove away. Seems simple enough, but under those particular conditions, it certainly wasn’t.
“It happens to the best of us,” wrote the Hawaiian Water Patrol. “What happens afterwards is what separates the REAL watermen from the posers.”
Martin, as you can see, isn’t wearing fins. The rip in that particular spot at Pipe isn’t a gentle one. But Martin? Martin handled it like it was just another lap in a pool. “What a stud,” wrote CJ Hobgood, a guy who knows the ins and outs of the Pipeline lineup better than most. “No fins, paddling against that rip… forget about it for 99.9 percent.”
